EDITORIAL: Christie should veto in-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants

A bill that would provide lower in-state tuition rates for children of undocumented immigrants and make them eligible for financial aid is headed for the desk of Gov. Chris Christie after being approved 25-12 Monday by the state Senate. Christie should waste no time in vetoing it.

Under the legislation, which previously had been approved by the state Assembly, the lower tuition rates at the state's public colleges and universities would be available to undocumented immigrants who attended high school in New Jersey for three or more years and filed an affidavit saying they plan to legalize their immigration status as soon as legally possible. Typically, the in-state tuition rate is about half that of the out-of-state rate.

Whether Christie will veto the bill is by no means certain. Two years ago, he was unequivocal in his opposition: "I want every child who comes to New Jersey to be educated, but I don't believe that for those people who came here illegally, we should be subsidizing with taxpayer money, through in-state tuition their education ... That is not a heartless position, that is a common sense position."

What a difference a campaign makes. On his way to capturing 51 percent of the Hispanic vote on Election Day, he sang a far different tune. Last month, he said, "I believe every child should be given the opportunity to reach their God-given potential ... that's a moral requirement. We need to get to work in the state Legislature, on things like making sure that there's tuition equality for everybody in New Jersey."

Moral requirement? Tuition equality for everyone? What about the "common-sense position"?

Why should those who came here legally and those who flouted the nation's immigration laws be treated the same? It is an insult to those who played by the rules to gain legal status. That lack of respect for the nation's immigration laws will further serve as an invitation for others to enter the country illegally and to come to New Jersey if they are looking for tuition breaks, among other things, for their children. And it is unfair to lifelong, natural-born residents of other states who would pay higher tuition rates at New Jersey's schools than unauthorized immigrants who live here.

Given the tight budgets of state colleges and universities, granting in-state tuition rates to undocumented residents would only serve to further strain delicate budgets and impose additional burdens on New Jersey taxpayers.

There is no federal or state law that prohibits the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges, public or private. Federal or state laws do not require students to prove citizenship in order to enter U.S. institutions of higher education. In New Jersey, most of the community and state colleges don't require proof of citizenship and therefore don't charge the higher tuition rate. That's the law that should bechanged.

Christie has been coy about what he'll do when the bill gets to his desk. He should revert to his "common sense" position and veto it.

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EDITORIAL: Christie should veto in-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants

A bill that would provide lower in-state tuition rates for children of undocumented immigrants and make them eligible for financial aid is headed for the desk of Gov. Chris Christie after being

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